Smoke and Mirrors
by svvords
Summary: Case Fic- Sam and Dean visit a sequestered town on a relatively easy hunt that proves to be the exact opposite (set in season 1)


**Set a few weeks after Sam leaves Stanford with Dean (I have a hankering for writing fics based early on in the series for some reason)**  
**Enjoy!**

Long fingers glided gracefully over the keys of a laptop, producing discordant tapping sounds that enveloped the atmosphere in Room 3 of the mostly vacant Golden Camel Motel in Nashville, Tennessee. The soft whirring emitted by the laptop enveloped the room in a continuous, makeshift lullaby that hummed away in the dark of Sam and Dean's room for the night. The only source of light came from the blue, radiating glow of the computer screen that shined brightly into Sam's eyes, giving him a slightly ghoulish look.

A few moments later, Sam sat up and stretched. Several popping sounds filled the quiet space that the keyboard's tapping had finally stopped occupying

He had found a gig not too far from Tennessee.

The article emblazoned across the computer screen recounted the events surrounding an old manor and the effects it's recently had on the town's residents. Several accounts claimed to have spotted a series of odd shapes and shadows that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere and not been there beforehand.

While most people had passed it off as the shadows of rustling overgrown trees surrounding the property. Others had objected, asserting that the shapes had, in fact, been ghosts.

Which, to Sam, had made the potential case appear to be a bust. The article seemed like just another way for a lazy town sequestered by lush forests and visited by many tourists to attract attention from conspirators and cynics.

But the article connected the manor with an interview submitted by an anonymous source. The source claimed it had personally seen a young man sauntering amidst the abandoned manor's grounds. They claimed that the "ghost's" demeanor and appearance had been severely despondent with contemporary looks. The source further articulates that the person they saw would mutter occasional nonsense along the lines of "burning it up" and "keeping him locked away"

It seemed like little to go on, but they'd had less to build upon before so he figured they might as well give this a shot in the dark too.

Sam noticed the front door clicking shut and looked up to see his brother walking in, balancing two large paper bags and a tray of sodas in both arm. He was unpleasantly surprised when a greasy paper bag proudly advertising King's Diner unceremoniously landed on his lap

, "Dinner time" Dean proclaimed with an enthusiasm that bellied the enthusiasm regular people would hold at the sight of meeting a long lost loved one or of winning the lottery.

The smell of oil fried one too many times assaulted his senses and caused his nose to wrinkle in distaste. His eyes met Dean's questioningly "What's in this?"

Dean gave an impish smile, settling down on the chair across from the one Sam was sitting on. "They called it ' King's Beef Surprise'. Figured you needed a few extra pounds now that you're back on the job" He placed his own, noticeably greasier, paper bag on the table and pulled out a heart attack wrapped in tin foil masquerading as a double cheeseburger.

Sam glanced back down at his bag and regarded its contents with a skeptic look "Dude, it looks like it's been packed in ice"

Dean didn't seem put off by the dull appearance of the food seeing as he had already inhaled half a sandwich. Sam gave him a slightly disgusted look that Dean countered, melted cheese hanging off from his sandwich in a macabre display in Sam's opinion

"C'mon Sammy, it's classic americana," Dean said around a mouthful of half chewed food "Your pansy ass isn't gonna survive on leaves alone"

Sam pulled a Bitchface Royale, as dubbed by Dean, and began poking at his meal despite his skepticism towards it. "Jerk"

Dean smiled, swallowing down the rest of his cheeseburger and giving a satisfied burp, "Bitch" He rolled the tin foil into a small ball "Watch this"

He threw it over his shoulder and directly in the trashcan situated on the opposite side of the room. "Ha, bet you couldn't do that, _Samantha_"

Sam rolled his eyes in exasperation and turned the laptop towards Dean. "I think I found our next gig"

Dean skimmed through the article and grinned, "Pack your bags, Sammy, we're hitting the road first thing tomorrow morning" he said getting up from his chair and heading towards the bathroom, leaving Sam in the relative silence of the motel room once more.

Sam shut off his laptop and rubbed at his eyes. He sparred a furtive glance at the pyramid shaped clock on the counter. _Nine thirty _he thought idly. Dean would probably head out to a bar and either drag Sam along and try to play cupid or leave Sam to his own devices in the motel room.

Sam seriously hoped it was the latter. He didn't feel like meeting anyone- especially with Jess still fresh in his mind.

He balled the paper bag that had been abandoned near his laptop and aimed for the trashcan Dean had oh so impressively flung his trash into. He aimed and seconds later the paper bag was flying across the room, landing with a satisfying rustle and force that sent the trashcan twirling on the tips of its base before settling back down.

**Ok, so this plot bunny jumped out at me literally an hour ago and I decided to push out an intro before I went to sleep. Sorry it's so short btw but I promise there's more to come**  
**Tell me what you guys think about it so far!**


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